How much flood risk does Dawson County actually carry?
Dawson County lands at the 33.9th percentile of FEMA's National Risk Index for flooding, "Very Low" territory — among the lowest flood hazard in the country — with the hazard driven by inland rivers and flash flooding rather than the coast — FEMA's model puts a flood event here at about once every 2 years. That's a county-wide figure, not a per-address one — FEMA's parcel maps are a live lookup, not a bulk file.
Mandatory flood insurance compliance in Dawson County
Out of 48 homes FEMA counts inside Dawson County's mapped flood zone, 14 carry the flood policy federal law requires there — 29.2% compliance, short of full coverage. Across all residential structures in Dawson County, not just the ones FEMA mandates, 0.3% carry an NFIP policy — most flood damage nationally happens outside the mapped high-risk zone, so that broader number matters too.
Where Dawson County ranks
Dawson County sits at rank 2137 of 3144 counties on FEMA's flood hazard scale (1 is worst) and rank 1346 of 3144 by population (1 is biggest). Dawson County, Georgia is home to about 33,748 people across 210.828 square miles of land.
Checking a specific address in Dawson County
Across all of Dawson County's 11,756 residential structures, 33 carry an NFIP policy today — a county-wide count that still can't tell you one address's own mapped zone.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly which FEMA and Census tables feed Dawson County's numbers. The guide to what the Special Flood Hazard Area actually means explains why the mandatory-insurance rule exists and who it applies to.